Trail Of Help

I always asked to hear the story of Hansel and Gretel when I was a little girl.
I still have the same book that my mother read to me.
That book, with yellowed pages, was read to my children.
I know exactly where the book is on the bookshelf.

Even though I asked for the story to be read, it scared me a little.
I would cuddle a little closer.
I would cringe at the parts that bothered me yet for some reason, I still wanted to hear it.
I liked to look at most of the pictures.

A poor woodcutter had two children.
Food was scarce and times were hard.
The woodcutter’s wife did not want the children around because they ate too much.
She told her husband to leave the children in the woods.

The children overheard their conversation and came up with a plan.
Hansel went out and collected white pebbles to lay along the path.
The children wanted to be able to find their way back home.
When they returned home by their pebble path, the woodcutter’s wife was furious.

She locked them in their room so they could not gather any more pebbles.
They decided to leave a trail of bread crumbs so they could find their way back.
However, the birds ate the bread crumbs and the children were lost.
They were alone in the woods, hungry, and afraid.

They saw a house in the distance, that upon closer inspection, was a gingerbread cottage.
Everything on the house was edible.
The children began to eat small pieces of the house.
An old woman opened the door and promised food and a warm bed for the children.

As fairy tales go, the old woman was a witch who ate children.
She kept Hansel in a cage so she could fatten him up.
She made Gretel work very hard.
Hansel and Gretel knew that the old woman could not see well.

Whenever she wanted to check his weight, Hansel held out a chicken bone instead.
The old woman was hungry and wanted to eat the children now rather than later.
Gretel pretended that she did not know how to fire up the oven.
The old woman leaned over to show her; Gretel pushed her in the oven and closed the door.

I think of the story now and wonder why I wanted to hear it so many times.
It is a bit scary for a little child.
I remember that I loved two pictures in particular.
I loved the pictures of Hansel and Gretel leaving pebbles and bread crumbs in the woods.

I remember following the path with my finger.
I remember counting the pebbles and bread crumbs I saw pictured.
I wanted Hansel and Gretel to have a way back home.
I did not want them to be lost in the woods.

I saw him in the grocery store.
He was in a wheelchair.
He had a large, red bag in which he was putting his vegetables.
He moved about the produce section with relative ease.

I saw him staring at a section where the mushrooms are kept.
He was looking up.
I was not nearby at that moment but was going over to him.
A woman who works at the store approached him first.

Can I help you get something? she asked sweetly.
I did not hear his answer but I saw the woman get some mushrooms for the man.
He seemed grateful.
He wheeled around gathering other things he needed.

I was getting some green squash.
I was reaching up a bit to get what I needed.
The man wheeled near me and stopped.
Would you like some zucchini as well? I asked him.

No thank, you, he said and wheeled on.
As I approached the organic cheese section, I knew just the cheese I needed.
The man in the wheelchair came up beside me.
I smiled and closed the refrigerator door.

Do you think you could get that for me? He asked pointing to a particular cheese.
Of course, I said reaching in a grabbing the one he wanted.
What’s the difference between this one and that one? he asked, still pointing.
I told him that it was simply the price; one was cheaper than the other.

Could I have that one? He asked, pointing to the less expensive one.
Of course, I said, grabbing the cheese he wanted and putting the other one back.
Thank you, he said, Have a lovely weekend.
You are welcome, I answered, Enjoy your weekend as well.

I saw him shop independently as I went down the aisles.
Occasionally, I would see him needing help for things on a higher shelf.
I realized that from his perspective, many things were out of reach.
I realized that though he was quite capable, he still needed help.

A trail of help, I said to myself.
And I thought of Hansel and Gretel.
There were no white pebbles or breadcrumbs, but there was a trail nonetheless.
A trail to which many people made a contribution.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.
(Proverbs 3:27)

So many of us left a trail of help all throughout the grocery store.
Maybe that is why I liked the pictures of the pebbles and the bread crumbs so much.
I liked to follow the trail and see where it led.
In the fairy tale it led to danger; in the grocery store it led to blessing.

We all have the opportunity to leave a trial of help as we go about our day.
That trail is not evident to many.
That trail is only seen when you have eyes to see.
A trail of help is a beautiful thing.

If you traced it with your finger, it would lead to a smile.
A trail of help is not something we do for recognition.
A trial of help is not something we do to impress God.
A trail of help is simply to love others as God loves them.

It only takes a second.
The benefits are enormous.
The person is blessed.
It brings a smile to the face of God.

Someone needs you.
Where can you begin a trail of help today?

2 responses to “Trail Of Help”

1. Thank-you, Gina for sharing your memory of this childhood nursery. The analogy to the gentleman shopping is such a good example of the little things we can do to help others follow their path. In doing so we also help ourselves, changing our focus from ourselves to others !

   Reply

   • Linda,
     Isn’t it wonderful to have memory triggers that coincide with something we are currently experiencing? It causes us to stop and put all the pieces together so we see the connection. Blessings, friend.
     Gina

     Reply